Customer testimonials are an important way to communicate with prospective customers. They prove what you’ve known all along: that your company provides an excellent product or service.

Written testimonials are great, and certainly better than nothing, but a well-crafted testimonial video can be an even more engaging way to share your favorite customer stories with your prospects. Here are some tips on creating an effective customer testimonial video:

Prepare

The first rule of thumb for any form of customer testimonial is: don’t waste your customers time. It’s important to maintain your customers relationships, so make the process as smooth and easy for them as possible. This is why it’s a good idea to do some planning. Select a few specific examples of the work you’ve done together. What do you think they like about your product or service? Prepare a list of questions for the interview so that you make the most of the time you have. And instead of planning open ended questions, target specific areas where you know they’ve had a positive experience.

Make Your Customer Comfortable

Not many people are naturally comfortable in front of the camera and under production lights. That’s why it’s important to put them at ease right off the bat. Welcome them, and engage in light conversation before sitting down for the interview. Then briefly explain the process – that you’ll ask them a few questions, and that they can stop and redo anything. Editing is a wonderful tool. Assure them that they’ll have final say on whether or not the video will be used.

Authentic Interview

The goal is not to put words in your customers mouth. No testimonial should appear scripted, or credibility will immediately be lost. The interview should feel like a conversation: your customer speaking directly to a producer or person off camera, not looking into the camera lens. Avoid interrupting them, provide positive feedback, and let the authentic story emerge.

Keep it Short

After the interview is done, it’s time for editing. While the interview may have been filled with an hour of praise, your prospects definitely don’t want to watch a long winded video. It’s best to keep testimonial videos short to-the-point. Multi customer videos should be no longer than 2-3 minutes, and a single customer testimonial should be no longer than about 1 minute.

Grab Viewers Attention

There’s rule in the industry called the “3 second rule,” and this doesn’t have anything to do with how long food has been on the floor. On the web or mobile, you only have 3 seconds to grab a viewer’s attention. There are literally billions of other things they could navigate to, and your video needs to compel them to stay. This is why you start with the most engaging moment, a unique detail, shocking result or even humor. You can’t get those 3 seconds back, so use them wisely.

Focus on Results

Stick to specific results. Vague exclamations of praise, such as “XYZ Company was great to work with!” do not have nearly as much impact as result-oriented details. How exactly did your company benefit the customer. Did they increase their sales? Did they improve efficiency? Quality?

Stunning Visuals

A minute is a very long time when you are watching a simple talking-head video. Even the most captivating subject can be difficult to watch uninterrupted for that long. This will lead to viewers clicking away at a higher frequency. Include other engaging visuals throughout the customer story – it could be beautiful visuals of your product itself, visuals of the customer using your service, etc. If the customer works in a unique office, you could feature elements from the space. Variety goes a long way in keeping viewer interest.